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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Chp 302. Creative Trailblazer!


Meet the new Creative Trailblazer!!!

*Drum roll + Vuvuzela blast*

Creative whaaaa?



Hehehe… yeah that’s my new designation. Creative Trailblazer. Although I’ll still be technically under the copywriting section of the Creative department, this new promotion handed to me by our Creative Director is a milestone in our company (and probably in the advertising industry).

Kinda makes sense. We in the ad agency are all about creativity. Why have boring designations like designer, developer, copywriter, supervisor etc? Why not go all out with guns blazing like how we do during a brainstorming session?

The proposal for my designation went to our Delhi Head office, as it was something very unusual. And finally it got approved!

Creative Trailblazer
[My official business card]

So, what’s a Creative Trailblazer?

Basically, it means somebody with ideas that leave a trail of fire. Ideas big enough to create an impact in the market and conceptualize innovative campaigns never done before. A pioneer in creativity.

Well there had always been the age old discussion, that a mainstream Ad agency copywriter (read: Print or TV) and a digital ad agency copywriter are quite different in terms of what they do. Mainstream copywriters work on coming up with visuals and copy that catch the attention of the masses and how their copy will fit in with the visuals, whereas if you want to be in the digital industry, you have to know the digital industry really well.

For example, even though I am a copywriter, I do a lot of designing and programming based on the copy I am writing. And it is really important to know the internet audience well in order to have a successful campaign. There is no guarantee that what may work well in TV, Print or Radio, will work well online. Hence we have to keep ourselves constantly up to date with what the rest of the online crowd is doing. To suggest a concept based on Augmented Reality, we have to take into consideration how technologically feasibly the concept is and whether it is ideal for the average TG, and these are the things you can learn only if you are active on cyberspace.

As a digital copywriter, we have to plan the entire IA, sitemap and UI of a client as a part of the campaign and make everything as user friendly as possible right up to how analytics will react to the proposition.

Knowing photoshop, dreamweaver and flash is definitely a plus point if you want to be a digital copywriter. But most of all, you cannot just stop with the knowledge you have. The world is constantly changing and suddenly your friends will laugh at you if you have a 4GB pen drive. I still remember having a 1GB HARD drive on your computer was a big deal a few years ago. See where I’m getting at? There are no written rules here. Everything around you is rapidly changing and evolving when it comes to the digital world, and you can either opt to be left behind or move with the momentum. And you HAVE to move along if you want to survive.

And oh yes… being a nerd/geek scores in this industry. Slashdot FTW!

Plus I can’t wait to see the look in a client’s eye when I hand him my card on the next client meeting… Will he hesitate to ask me what the designation means, probably thinking that he might sound like an idiot for not knowing such a designation…

Coming back to the topic, I really don’t know how putting my designation as a “Creative Trailblazer” on my LinkedIn profile is going to reflect. Of course there are many people with “unique” designations, like Vint Cerf who is the “Chief Internet Evangelist” at Google and Kishore Biyani who is the “Chief Knowledge Officer” of Pantaloon Retail India. But these guys are already BIG and everybody knows who they are. Will anyone take an unknown “Creative Trailblazer” seriously? (Or as we say in IIM-B, it’s an arbit designation). Hmmm… maybe that is what I am willing to gamble on, and seriously, I believe this is the risk any creative person should be willing to take. It’s not just about the job. It’s the passion that comes along with the job.

Let’s see how this whole story unfolds. After all, the only way to know how this will perform in the digital world is to put it out here for the market to react. Working for Webchutney, the No.1 Digital Agency in India (As per The Economic Times, Brand Equity Agency Reckoner for two consecutive years 2008 & 2009) I guess this is just another way of showing you who we are. Cheers to you all.





38 comments:

Carey Suante said...

Well, well!! You seem to be trailblazing everywhere - on the job, online, offline, dare I say, in LOVE!!

Congrats on your promotion and new desig...

My job seem to stagnant these days being a BPO company...but lately thinking if I should ask for a new position/promotion in the marketing department(if there is one!!) as Social Media Marketing Officer or something way cooler, and start an online marketing thing for the company!

Mizohican said...

:) Thanx Carey. I really hope I can fulfill the responsibilities my designation offers. And by the way, regarding your comment about social media marketing, I hope you're not serious about it. Because these days, anybody who is on twitter or facebook calls themselves a social media expert! :D

Anonymous said...

Congrats Kima.. Hopefully curiosity may yet kill the Employer when searching for your next job with such a colorful designation.. :P But like Ted with his red cowboy boots, you seem to pull having such a title off.. hehe..
BTW, the contrast (white on black) on your blog creates screen burns in my eyes! Gives me temporary blindness whenever I read more than a paragraph and then switch to the comment area which is black on white!

Shuakshuali said...

Trailblazer. wow! great designation. sounds so much more fun than plain ol' director, head of.. etc. And no more tired old questions like "what kind of writing does a copywriter copy?" :D This opens up a whole new world of inquiry. Damn, I want to have a designation that says "Literary Gunslinger".
Congratulations :)

Hriatpuia Pa said...

Congratulations.. I chhuanawm zual zel e.

Sekibuhchhuak said...

Keini ang pa dar ben tan chuan, a hluzia leh a pawimawh zia i sawife hnu pawn kan hre ve dawn feih feih chauh mai tak nangin, Congrats!! Next chu nupui neih ani tawh mai ang chu ! :-))

Banno said...

Congratulations. And on another note, so what is the 'in' pen-drive to have? No, seriously. I need to buy one, so might as well buy the latest, no? :)

Mizohican said...

@ Banno: 8GB pen drive is what everybody's sporting these days... even as a key chain! Or a 1TB external hard-drive! I know, its tough keeping up with the times. :(

@ Blackestred: Thanx bro. And yeah, sorry about the contrast. Actually, white on black background isn't that difficult to read, but I kept a large white image (the business card) so your eyesight got used to that for a brief moment and your brain sensors immediately shot out a warning sign to your optical nerves, and created an illusionary white patch. I will immediately make the business card a bit grayer, and it will be better after that.

Mizohican said...

@ Shuakshuali: "Literary Gunslinger" wow! I love that! And it is so you. Shooting off vocabulary with the sleight of hand. phingchiuniau phingchiuniau. Your inexhaustible ammunition puts the fear of word in anybody. The highbrowed sheriff.

@ Zaia: Thaanx hotupa :)

@ Sekibuhchhuak: hahahah.... nia hna lamah hian han nghet leh zual phawt i la, nupui te chu kan la ngaihtuah dawn nia (Nghet ka tih hian hlawh pung leh zual te a nia ka tihna. Mizorama ka haw khan, hna nghet vel ka sawi a, chuan mi in tuna ka hna ah hian permanent employee angin ka la awm lova, contract basis chauhvin ka la thawk ka tihna emaw an lo ti vek a! lolz)

VaiVa said...

Congrats and report to me tonight :D

nancy said...

congrats.. and happy trailblazing... :D

benjamin rualthanzauva said...

Cool!

Mizohican said...

@ VaiVa: hehehehe... Let's see :D Netherlands match tonight.

@ Nancy: Thank you. Will blaze the trail. :P

@ Ben: Yeah! :)

samuelapa said...

Congrats on your new designation. What is the next step? More Creative Trailblazer or what you will

dr_feelgood said...

WOW!! Congrats on your promotion and new very 'in'designation. Here in the Government,its the other side of the spectrum with really dull Director, Joint Director, etc.We do have some unusual ones: Additional Chief Engineer,Driller,Section cutter, Apiarist, Sexer,Microscopist, etc

Aduhi Chawngthu said...

Congrats on the promotion. May you shine and excel and show the path for others to follow. Happy trailblazing!!

Eveline said...

Awesome Trailblazer!! You have certainly put in the hours and deserve that title! Do we have to look out for a press conference or something? :P
I will drink beer tonight and raise the bottle in your general direction.
Umm.. be nice to the little people, okay?

Mizohican said...

@ samuelapa: Thanx hotupa. Ka hre lo le next chu. Its a new path never ventured before. "Senior Trailblazer" te pawh a ni mah na. lolz.

@ dr_feelgood: lolz, whats a "sexer"? :D Looks interesting! :)

@ Aduhi: Thanx Aduh. Am planning to trailblaze all the way to H'bad one of these days. Will keep you informed.

@ Eveline: And I raise mine towards your city :D Thanx dear.

Anonymous said...

Arbit!

hehe, just kidding. way to go dude! congratulations :)

~ Garuda

luliana said...

Congrats...lawm ila..ehhh!! :P

Malsawmi Jacob said...

Congrats, kan chhuang lutuk che. I thawh tur dik tak i thawk anih hmel hle mai.

Philo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Philo said...

Congrats on a much deserved designation! Hope the officialese does not stifle the creative streak that enthralls so many of us.

Shuakshuali said...

I silai a Bollywood em mai..we gunslingers use colt.45...they go "khrak khrak". Get a gun update if you want to play with the big guns :p

Mizohican said...

@ Garuda: ROFL! Thanx man :) And great to see you leave your footprints here. :)

@ luliana: Ni e... ehhh! :P

@ mesjay: Thanx pi mesjay. Lets see where the wind blows... :)

@ philo: thanx bro. and I hope not too :)

@ Shuakshuali: I am not understanding when you refer to my gun. Me innocenting. :P

Unknown said...

Hotupa, I kaisan chu a lawmawm hle mai. I hmel pawh a 'Creative' sur tawh lo maw :D

Irene said...

congrates! May all your dreams come true in the days to come!

Jerusha said...

Congratulations em em Kimkims! Lo zin la min lo treat rawh I promotion lawm nan :)

dr_feelgood said...

A 'sexer's job is to sex chicks!!
Not the kind you have in mind put those with wings that lay eggs, to determine if they are male or female.

Mizohican said...

@ chhangte_II: lolz hotupa, hmel mai pawh a nilo, chhass nen a relationship pawh a creative tawh lutuk :P

@ Irene: Thanx, and I hope what you say come true :)

@ Jerusha: Jerjers, thank you. Ka rawn zin tep, and will stay at your place provided no more kinky stuff? :D

@ dr_feelgood: aww.... that kinda sounds boring suddenly... hihihi... but still, if it was what I had in mind initially, I wouldn't mind doing it. lolz.

Anonymous said...

Kiski jali or kiski jalayi
ye bata mere Trail blazer bhai ;)

Congrats For Blazing

'Anonymous powers'

Mizohican said...

lolz... errr... Dhanywaad. :D

Anonymous said...

congratulations. may you keep on trailblazing and may those who follow keep on track.

avena said...

Congrats. Mr creative trailblazer!

Enge i hna tur ber pawh chu han suangtuah vak ngaihna chu ka hre lo na in i hmel tal chu a improve phah viau tur ah ngai phawt teh ang.

E taka, synod office canteen a thingpui kan in ho tum a i sawi chhuah zawk, mizoram lam ah chuan ala lar lova tih vel kha , rawn post teh a!!

Veni Sailo said...

When are you posting the new updated blogs???

Mizohican said...

@ ruolngulworld: lolz. I hope so too Pu chaoticserenity :) Thanx.

@ Avena: Nia hotupa ka rawn la ziak ang enge ka tih tak ber hi nakinah. :) Mi tam tak chuan ka blog vang hian ka hna pawh hetiang thil ziah lampang hi emaw an tia, rawn sawifiah a ngai a nih hi :)

@ Veni Sailo: Hopefully today, if time permits me. Thanx for visiting :)

claytonia vices said...

Way to go, Creative Trailblazer!

I think the next level could be something like Awesome Creative Trailblazer! :)

jay-me said...

congratulations!!!i envy the delectation you manage to relish while toiling for those gandhi series...to think some people asso. technical stuff wit geeks eh???you prove them so dead wrong...already ur desgnatn carries an aura of fun and exciting exploits!!lucky devil you..wish i cud b honored wit desgntns like "smashing textualbeastie","groovy literary whiz", etc.